Thermal Analysis Assisted Power Handling Capability Enhancement in Probe-Fed Microstrip Patch Antennas

An investigation into enhancing the power handling capability (PHC) of probe-fed microstrip patch antennas, for high-power applications, in the UHF range, is presented. The method involves substituting conventional SMA connectors, commonly used as microstrip antenna feeds, with tapered coaxial connectors featuring constant longitudinal impedance. The maximum PHC(s) of the antennas, with the tapered connector feeds, are identified by integrating full-wave simulations with thermal analysis of the models, through Altair HyperStudy. Microstrip patch antennas designed on RT-duroid
$(\varepsilon_{r}=2.2,\ \tan\delta=0.0009)$
and TMM-10i
$(\epsilon_{r}=9.8,\ \tan\delta=0.002)$
substrates, utilizing the tapered connector feeds, exhibited PHC
$\approx 4\ \mathbf{kW}$
and 6 kW, respectively, marking a significant improvement compared to SMA connectors, which typically handle only a few
$100\mathrm{s}$
of watts of input peak power.